Method of e-mail address search and e-mail address transliteration and associated device

ABSTRACT

An improved method of transliterating non-Latin input within an e-mail address field to the Latin equivalent. A routine in a handheld device is structured to detect a triggering event that indicates an e-mail address is being input into an e-mail address field. Following the triggering event, both prior and subsequent input is transliterated to Latin characters as these characters are required by Internet protocols. The transliteration routine may also be utilized to search an e-mail address book wherein names are recorded using both Latin and non-Latin characters.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/052,039, filed May 9, 2008entitled, Method of E-Mail Address Transliteration and AssociatedDevice.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to handheldelectronic devices and, more particularly, to a handheld electronichaving a routine structured to transliterate non-Latin input within ane-mail search or an e-mail address field to the Latin equivalent.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples ofsuch handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal dataassistants (PDAs), handheld electronic devices, two-way pagers, cellulartelephones, and the like. Many handheld electronic devices also featurewireless communication capability, although many such handheldelectronic devices are stand-alone devices that are functional withoutcommunication with other devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full understanding of the disclosed and claimed concept can beobtained from the following Description when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an exemplary handheld electronicdevice in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept upon whichis performed an improved method in accordance with the disclosed andclaimed concept;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is flowchart of the disclosed method;

FIGS. 4A-4C show the displayed output of an e-mail address field in thesituations described below;

FIGS. 5A-5D show the displayed output of an e-mail address book searchfield in the situations described below; and

FIG. 6 is a further flowchart of the disclosed method.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.

DESCRIPTION

As used herein a “routine” is a set of instructions or a program, or aplurality of cooperative programs, structured to operate on one or morehandheld electronic devices.

As used herein, the expression “a number of” and variations thereofshall refer broadly to a nonzero quantity, including a quantity of one.

As used herein, “present” and variations thereof, relate to anelectronic construct created by a routine being executed in a processorapparatus and transmitted as a signal to a display which converts thesignal into a viewable image. Thus, it is understood that when a routine“presents” any image, the routine is “presenting” the image via theprocessor apparatus and display.

As used herein, the word “click” when used as a verb means the act ofusing an input device associated with a handheld electronic device, suchas, but not limited to, a mouse or a trackball, to actuate a program orother function. The input device is structured to move a cursor and toaccept an input indicating a selection. Such an input is, typically,provided by a button on the input device (mouse or trackball), tappingthe input device (touch screen), or depressing the input device(trackball). “Clicking” is a series of actions including placing apointer presented on the display over an icon, field or other locationand then using the input device to select the icon or place a cursor inthe selected location. Similarly, a user may “double-click.” The resultof a click vs. a double click varies according to how the handheldelectronic device is programmed. For example, a common scheme is to havea single click select an icon and a double click start a programassociated with an icon. Further, a single click may position the cursorwithin a field so that another input device, typically a keyboard, maybe used to provide additional input.

An improved handheld electronic device 4 in accordance with thedisclosed and claimed concept is indicated generally in FIG. 1 and isdepicted schematically in FIG. 2. The improved handheld electronicdevice 4 comprises a housing 6 upon which are disposed an inputapparatus 8, an output apparatus 12, and a processor apparatus 16. Theinput apparatus 8 provides input to the processor apparatus 16. Theprocessor apparatus 16 provides output signals to the output apparatus12.

The input apparatus 8 comprises a keyboard 20 and a track wheel 24. Thekeyboard 20 in the exemplary embodiment depicted herein comprises aplurality of keys 26 that are each actuatable to provide input to theprocessor apparatus 16. The track wheel 24 is rotatable to providenavigational and other input to the processor apparatus 16, andadditionally is translatable in the direction of the arrow 28 of FIG. 1to provide other input, such as selection inputs. The keys 26 and thetrack wheel 24 serve as input members which are actuatable to provideinput to the processor apparatus 16. The exemplary output apparatus 12comprises a display 32.

It is further noted that the plurality of keys 26 may include characterkeys 25, which are characters and numbers, functional character keys 27,such as, but not limited to the “@” symbol, and operational keys 29,such as, but not limited to the “enter” or “return” key. As detailedbelow, the character keys 25 may be associated with one or morecharacter sets, i.e. alphabets or a punctuation character set. Thus, onekey 26 may be a character key 25 and a functional character key 27, aswell as an operational key 29. However, to reduce confusion as topurpose of a key 26, operational keys 29 are typically not mixed withcharacter keys 25 and functional character keys 27. Accordingly, eachkey 26 may include a number of indicia 30 thereon representing thecharacter(s) and operations associated with that key 26.

Examples of other input devices not expressly depicted herein wouldinclude, for instance, a mouse or trackball for providing navigationalinputs, such as could be reflected by movement of a cursor on thedisplay 32, and other inputs such as selection inputs. Still otherexemplary input devices would include a touch-sensitive display, astylus pen for making menu input selections on a touch-sensitive displaydisplaying menu options and/or soft buttons of a graphical userinterface (GUI), hard buttons disposed on a case of the handheldelectronic device 4, and so on. Examples of other output devices wouldinclude a touch-sensitive display, an audio speaker, and so on.

An exemplary mouse or trackball would likely advantageously be of a typethat provides various types of navigational inputs. For instance, amouse or trackball could provide navigational inputs in both verticaland horizontal directions with respect to the display 32, which canfacilitate input by the user. Further a trackball may be moved inwardlyrelative to the housing 6 to provide an input actuation, that is, a“click.”

The processor apparatus 16 comprises a processor 36 and a memory 40. Theprocessor 36 may be, for example and without limitation, amicroprocessor (μP) that interfaces with the memory 40. The memory 40can be any one or more of a variety of types of internal and/or externalstorage media such as, without limitation, RAM, ROM, EPROM(s),EEPROM(s), FLASH, and the like that provide a storage register for datastorage such as in the fashion of an internal storage area of a handheldelectronic device, and can be volatile memory or nonvolatile memory. Thememory 40 has stored therein a number of routines 44 that are executableon the processor 36. The processor apparatus 16 is further structured toreceive input from the keyboard 20 and to provide output signals to thedisplay 32.

The routines 44 include at least one keyboard routine 46 structured toassociate an individual character key 25, and its input, with a specificcharacter. The characters are provided in a database 48 having sets ofassociated characters. The sets of associated characters include atleast one non-Latin character set and the Latin character set. It isnoted that many character sets, including the Latin and the Greekcharacter sets, automatically include character sub-sets of capital andlower case characters. The sets of associated characters, preferably,include a set of punctuation characters as well. As an example, thefollowing discussion will use the Greek alphabet as the non-Latincharacter set. However, it is understood that the method claimed belowis not limited to use of the Greek alphabet as the non-Latin characterset.

The at least one keyboard routine 46 is structured to associate aspecific character, e.g. “Ω,” with a specific key 26. Thus, when a useractuates the key associated with the character “Ω,” the processorapparatus 16 will interpret the input from that key 26 as beingassociated with the character “Ω” and may, for example, present anoutput on the display 32 of the character “Ω.” The at least one keyboardroutine 46 is further structured to redefine the character setassociated with the keys 26. For example, if the Latin character set isactive, the at least one keyboard routine 46 is, typically, structuredto associate the Latin lower case character sub-set with the keys 26.However, when a user actuates a specific key 26, e.g. the “CAP”operational key 29, the at least one keyboard routine 46 is structuredto redefine the character sub-set associated with the character keys 25to be the Latin capital character set. Similarly, if the keys 26 wereassociated with one character set, e.g. the Latin character set, the atleast one keyboard routine 46 may redefine the keys 26 to be associatedwith another character set, e.g. the Greek character set. Further, theuse of an operational key 29, e.g. the “ALT” key causes the at least onekeyboard routine 46 to associate the punctuation character set and/or anumber character set with the keys 26.

It is further noted that character sets include equivalent characters asindicated by an indicia 30 on the keys 26 For example, in use the Latincharacter “A” is phonetically identical to the Greek “Alpha.” Thus, the“A” character key 25 includes an indicia 30 for both the Latin “A” andthe Greek “Alpha.” Certain Greek letters may not have equivalents in theLatin character set, for example, the theta, “θ,” is pronounced as “th.”In Latin, “th” is a digraph of the characters “t” and “h.” As thecharacter theta, “θ,” cannot be split between the “t” and “h” characterkeys 25, the theta, “θ,” is disposed on the “Q” character key 25 forwhich there is no Greek equivalent. The transliteration routine 44T(discussed below) is structured to redefine digraphs with the equivalentLatin character combinations. For those Greek characters for which thereare commonly accepted equivalents in Latin characters, the twoequivalent character indicia 30 are disposed on the same key and thetransliteration routine 44T will replace any Greek character with theLatin equivalent. The keys 26 may further have an indicia 30 of apunctuation mark or a number disposed thereon.

The routines 44 also include at least one e-mail routine 50 structuredto present an e-mail address field 52, to detect and present input fromthe keyboard character keys 25 and the functional character keys 27, andto transmit an e-mail message over the Internet or a network usingsimilar protocols. The e-mail address field 52 is typically identifiedby the word “To” followed by a text field in which the user my input therecipient's address. As used herein, optional e-mail address fields 52such as the carbon copy, or “cc,” field and the blind carbon copy, or“bcc,” field are considered to be equivalent with the primary e-mailaddress field 52. It is further noted that an e-mail address 60 has twoparts, the user name 62 (also referred to as the “mailbox name”) and thehost (or domain) name 64. These two parts are part of a hierarchy ofnames; that is, the domain name 64 is of a higher level than the username 62. The user name 62 may be described as the lowest-level name inthe hierarchy. Typically, the user name 62 and the domain name 64 areseparated by the ampersand or the commercial at symbol, “@,” 66. It isnoted that the “functional character keys 27” are not identified hereinas “punctuation keys” because selected punctuation marks act asoperators, or functional, marks in certain instances. One of thoseinstances is the use of the “@” 66 symbol in an e-mail address. That is,the “@” 66 symbol in an e-mail address functions to separate the username 62 and the domain name 64. It is further noted that the e-mailprotocol used by the Internet requires that all addresses utilize theLatin character set.

As is known, for a user to send a message, the user must provide therecipient's e-mail address 60 in the e-mail address field 52. It is alsoknown for handheld electronic devices 4 to include an address book,which is a database, within, or associated with, an e-mail routine 50.The address book is used to record a number of e-mail addresses 60 andthe e-mail routine 50 allows a user to look up, that is, present a listof, recorded e-mail addresses. When the list of e-mail addresses 60 ispresented, the e-mail routine 50 allows a user to insert the e-mailaddresses 60 in the e-mail address field 52 by clicking, ordouble-clicking, on one or more e-mail addresses 60 that are presented.The at least one e-mail routine 50 is, preferably, structured to recordand present actual names as well as e-mail addresses 60. That is, the atleast one e-mail routine 50 is structured to record e-mail addresses 60and associate a name, nickname or description therewith. Thus, if BillSmith has an e-mail address “Bill_Smith123@thisdomainnameistoolong.com,”the user may simply enter the name “Bill Smith” and the at least onee-mail routine 50 provides the associated e-mail address to the e-mailaddress field 52. Thus, as used herein, a name/e-mail address areequivalent. That is, when a user provides, or searches for, a “name,”the user may provide, or search for, either a given name or an e-mailaddress and, so long as either that name/e-mail address is in theaddress book, the output will be the same. The at least one e-mailroutine 50 may be structured to present the name, the e-mail address, orboth, in the e-mail address field 52, however, when the e-mail messageis transmitted to the Internet, or any similar electronic network, thee-mail address 60, rather than the name, is provided per the relevantprotocols.

Further, the at least one e-mail routine 50, preferably, includes an“auto-completion” feature. The auto-completion feature allows the userto enter a partial name, or e-mail address 60, into the e-mail addressfield 52 which then causes the address book to present one or morenames, or e-mail addresses, that correspond with the partial name, ore-mail address. For example, suppose a user's address book included thenames, “Bill Smith” and “Bill Turner.” When the user inputs thecharacter “B” in the e-mail address field 52, the auto-completion mayenter the name Bill Smith, typically with the characters “ill Smith”highlighted. If the user wishes to enter the name “Bill Smith,” the usersimply actuates the “ENTER” key, the “TAB” key, or another non-characterkey having a similar function. However, if the user is sending a messageto “Bill Turner,” the user enters additional characters, e.g., “i, “”l,”and “l,” to spell “Bill.” At this point, “Bill Smith” is still thesuggested name as “Smith” precedes “Turner” alphabetically. However,once the user enters the character “T,” the auto-completion featurepresents “Bill Turner” as the suggested input that may be selected byactuating the “ENTER” key or another non-character key having a similarfunction. Alternately, the auto-completion feature may present a pop-upbox showing all address book entries that match the provided input and,as more characters are input, the number of address book entries thatmatch the provided input will be reduced until the desired name, ore-mail address 60, is the only address book entry presented.

Finally, with respect to the auto-completion feature, it is noted thatthe auto-completion feature may be structured to input selectedfunctional characters by inputting the functional characters in responseto actuating the “SPACE” key 26. That is, a “space” is an invalidcharacter within an e-mail address 60. Thus, when in the e-mail addressfield 52, the “SPACE” key 26 may be redefined to provide an alternateoutput. Given that e-mail addresses 60 must have an “@” 66 symbol and“.”, as in “.com”, a common scheme is to initially and temporarilyassociate the “SPACE” key 26 with the “@“66 symbol and then totemporarily associate the “SPACE” key 26 with the “.”. This relieves theuser of having to actuate the “ALT” key which redefines the characterkeys 25 with the punctuation character set. Thus, while in the e-mailaddress field 52, a user may enter the address “ABC@XYZ.com” by pressingthe following sequence of keys 26: “A”, “B”, “C”, “SPACE”, ”X”, “Y”,“Z”, “SPACE”, “c”, “o”, and “m”.

The at least one e-mail routine 50 is further structured to present anoutput table 54 adjacent to the e-mail address field 52. Preferably, theoutput table 54 includes a first field 56 and a second field 58. Thepurpose of these fields 56, 58 are discussed in detail below.

Typically, the user will identify the default character set to beassociated with the keys 26. For the example herein, the defaultcharacter set will be the Greek character set. Thus, when the userinputs text, the output on the display 42 will be presented in Greekcharacters. However, as noted above, the e-mail protocol used by theInternet requires that all e-mail addresses 60 utilize the Latincharacter set. Thus, entry of Greek characters is not suitable for ane-mail address 60. Accordingly, the method set forth below provides forthe transliteration of the Greek character set into the Latin equivalentof that non-Latin character set. The transliteration method may beexecuted as an independent transliteration routine 44T, or, preferably,is incorporated into the at least one e-mail routine 50.

While one solution is to only allow Latin characters to be input to thee-mail address field 52, this is inconvenient to the user who prefers anon-Latin language. Thus, the method delays the transliteration of thenon-Latin character set to the Latin character set as long as possible.That is, generally, the user is permitted to enter characters in thenon-Latin character set until a trigger event occurs which causes the atleast one e-mail routine 50 to shift input, and any associated output onthe display 42, into the Latin character set. Further, once the at leastone e-mail routine 50 begins to use the Latin character set, anynon-Latin character input into the e-mail address field 52 is alsoconverted to the Latin equivalent of that non-Latin character. It isnoted that while the transliteration method herein is described inrelation to Latin and Greek characters, the method can also beimplemented for other languages.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the method includes the following steps.Having 100 the plurality of character keys associated with a non-Latincharacter set, typically, the default language, detecting 102 acharacter key input, determining 104 which non-Latin character isassociated with the actuated character key, presenting 106 the non-Latincharacter associated with the actuated character key in the e-mailaddress field, repeating 108 steps (104)-(106) until a trigger eventoccurs and then, redefining 110 the character keys by associating thecharacter keys 25 with the Latin character set, converting 112 allnon-Latin character presented in the e-mail address field to the Latinequivalent of that non-Latin character, detecting 114 a character keyinput, determining 116 which Latin character is associated with theactuated character key, presenting 118 the Latin character in the e-mailaddress field 52, repeating 120 steps (114)-(118) until the e-mailaddress is complete, sending 122 the e-mail having a Latin charactere-mail address. It is noted that once the trigger event occurs, thee-mail routine 50 removes from the presentation in the output table 54the non-Latin options. That is, as described below, the user may beentering Greek characters which are presented in the output table 54 asGreek characters. However, once the trigger event occurs, the e-mailroutine 50 removes the Greek characters and presents the Latinequivalents. Any farther input of characters will be presented in theLatin character set.

There are three preferred trigger events selected from the groupcomprising: actuation 130 of a manual conversion option, detection 132of an input that is not subject to auto-completion, or detection 134 ofa functional character input. That is, the at least one e-mail routine50 includes a manual selection of the Latin character set. The manualselection is useful when the user knows the address is not in theaddress book and may even be reading Latin characters to be input; forexample when a user is reading an e-mail address from a printed page. Asshown in FIG. 4A, the manual selection option may be presented in one ofthe fields 56, 58 of output table 54. That is, when the user positionsthe cursor in the e-mail address field 52, the output table 54 isdisplayed. In the first field 56 of the output table 54 may be the word“E-mail” or an equivalent indicator. If the user selects this option,e.g. by clicking on the word “E-mail,” the selection acts as a triggerand the at least one e-mail routine 50 performs the steps of redefining110 the character keys by associating the character keys with the Latincharacter set, then converting 112 all non-Latin character presented inthe e-mail address field to the Latin equivalent of that non-Latincharacter, as well as the subsequent steps identified above.

Preferably, the address book is structured to present names, and not theassociated e-mail address, in the default language. Thus, a user cantype and read e-mail addresses, including those provided by theauto-completion feature, in the preferred language. However, when a useris entering an e-mail address that is not part of the address book, theinput must be in the Latin character set. Thus, when the at least onee-mail routine 50 detects 132 of an input in the e-mail address field 52that is not subject to auto-completion, the input must be converted toLatin characters. Thus, upon detection 132 of an input that is notsubject to auto-completion the at least one e-mail routine 50 performsthe steps of redefining 110 the character keys by associating thecharacter keys with the Latin character set, then converting 112 allnon-Latin character presented in the e-mail address field to the Latinequivalent of that non-Latin character, as well as the subsequent stepsidentified above. That is, detection 132 of an input that is not subjectto auto-completion acts as a triggering event.

The third triggering event is the detection 134 of a functionalcharacter input. That is, when a user is entering an e-mail address 60that is not part of the address book, the user will have to enter the“@” symbol as well as a “.” as in “.com”. As an address book entryshould only include proper names and not include symbols, the entry of afunctional character input indicates that the data being entered is notan address book name, but rather an actual e-mail address that needs tobe in Latin characters. Accordingly, upon detection 134 of a functionalcharacter input, the at least one e-mail routine 50 performs the stepsof redefining 110 the character keys by associating the character keyswith the Latin character set, then converting 112 all non-Latincharacter presented in the e-mail address field to the Latin equivalentof that non-Latin character, as well as the subsequent steps identifiedabove.

It is further noted that the fields 56, 58 of output table 54 maypresent two different out put options. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, thefirst field 56 may be used to present the Latin characters equivalent tothe non-Latin input, while the second field 58 may be used to presentthe auto-completion feature in the default character set. This allows auser to “pull,” the manual conversion trigger, that is, actuate 130 themanual conversion option, at any time.

The output corresponding to the method is shown in FIGS. 4A-4C. For thisexample, it is assumed that the user has Greek as the default languageand an English friend named “Danny,” that is, “Δ{acute over (α)}vvυ” inhis address book. In FIG. 4A, the user has input two Greek characters,“Δ”, “{acute over (α)}”, and “v” which have the Latin equivalentcharacters of “D”, “a” and “n”. Thus, after the user has typed “Δ”,“{acute over (α)}”, and “v”, the fields 56, 58 of output table 54present the Latin equivalent “Dan” in the first field 56 and the addressbook auto-completion suggestion “Δ{acute over (α)}vvυ” in the secondfield 58. At this point, the user may select the auto-completionsuggestion “Δ{acute over (α)}vvυ” or actuate any one of the threetriggers identified above. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, when theuser is writing to a person named “Dante,” the fourth character the userenters the lower case Greek “t” which is the Greek character “τ”. Asthis is not the next character in “Δ{acute over (α)}vvυ's” name, theauto-completion feature detects 134 that the input is not subject toauto-completion, therefore, a trigger event has occurred and thetransliteration process as described above is put into effect.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4C, the user may select, i.e. click on,the Latin equivalent “Dan” in the first field 56. This acts as anactuation 130 of the manual conversion option and, as a trigger eventhas occurred, the transliteration process as described above is put intoeffect and all subsequent character inputs will be in Latin. As notedabove, as soon as the e-mail address field 52 is presented, e.g. whenthe user creates a new e-mail, and even before any text is entered inthe e-mail address field 52, the output table 54 may be presented andinclude the first field 56 with a manual selection option. As shown inFIG. 4A, the manual selection option is presented as the word “E-mail,”which indicates that by selecting this option, the output will be in theaccepted e-mail character set, i.e. Latin.

As another alternative, and as shown in FIG. 4C, the user may alsotrigger transliteration by inputting a functional character, which istypically, but not limited to, the “@” 66 symbol. That is, as shown inFIG. 4C, the user has input the characters “Δ”, “{acute over (α)}”, and“v”, followed by the “@” 66 symbol. In this instance, the e-mail routine50 recognizes the “@” 66 symbol as a functional character whichidentifies the input as an e-mail address as opposed to an address bookentry. Thus, the e-mail routine 50 detects 134 a functional characterinput and, as a trigger event has occurred, the transliteration processas described above is put into effect. It is noted that the detection134 of a functional character input as a triggering event works wellwith an e-mail routine 50 that redefines a SPACE key entry as an “@” 66symbol and does not include an address book and an auto-completionfeature. That is, returning to the prior example of an address bookincluding the names “Bill Smith” and “Bill Turner,” the entry of thecharacter key 25 sequence “B”, “I”, “L”, “L”, “SPACE” will result in thee-mail routine 50 waiting for the next character key 25 entry todetermine if the user is attempting to input the last name “Smith” or“Turner.” In this instance, the SPACE key does not result in the entryof an “@” 66 symbol. However, and now returning to the second exampleusing the Greek entry of “Δ”, “{acute over (α)}”, and “v” where thee-mail routine 50 redefines a SPACE key entry as an “@” 66 symbol anddoes not include an address book and/or an auto-completion feature, theentry of the character key 25 sequence “Δ”, “{acute over (α)}”, and “v”,“SPACE”, results in the input of the “@” 66 symbol once the SPACE key isactuated. This, in turn, acts as a triggering event and thetransliteration process as described above is put into effect.Therefore, the user may further complete the e-mail address with thedomain, “XYZ.com”, as shown.

As set forth above, an address book is typically structured to record aplurality of e-mail addresses. In the preferred embodiment, the addressbook routine is part of the e-mail routine 50. It is, however,understood that the address book routine may be a separate routinestructured to cooperate with the e-mail routine 50. While a user maymanually type an e-mail address into an address book, it is more typicalfor a user to automatically “add” a “sender's,” i.e. the person whosends a message, name and e-mail address to an address book. This isaccomplished by actuating an “add sender to address book” button or menuoption while an e-mail message is open, or otherwise highlighted. Whensuch an action is initiated, the e-mail routine 50 copies the Latine-mail address from the open, or otherwise highlighted, e-mail into theaddress book. The e-mail routine 50 may then prompt the user to providea name that will be associated with the e-mail address. That is, ane-mail address may be “Bill_Smith@XYZ.com.” After this name has beenadded to the address book, the user may associate the name “Bill Smith”with the e-mail address. As a further example, a user/sender's e-mailaddress may not incorporate expected characters and the associated namemay be easier for the user to remember. That is, in a large e-mailsystem, common names like “Bill Smith” may belong to more than one user.As each “Bill Smith” must have a unique e-mail address, only the firstmay actually use the address Bill_Smith@XYZ.com. A subsequent “BillSmith” may choose, or be assigned, a different e-mail address, such as“user1234@XYZ.com.” In such a situation, a recipient of an e-mailmessage from the subsequent “Bill Smith” may not always remember thatthe “Bill Smith” which the recipient knows has random e-mail address. Inthis situation, the user/recipient may provide the name “Bill_Smith” asthe name that will be associated with the e-mail address“user1234@XYZ.com” in the address book. Thus, at a later time, the userneed only type in the known name, “Bill Smith,” and the address bookwill provide the correct e-mail address, i.e. “user1234@XYZ.com.”

The transliteration routine 44T may also be used to search for differentname within the address book. That is, a multilingual user willtypically receive e-mail from various users in different languages. Overtime, the multilingual user's address book will include “names” in bothLatin and non-Latin languages. As noted above, all e-mail addressesassociated with the “names” are in Latin characters. When such a userdesires to search for a name in the address book, the user would notwish to perform the search in multiple languages. Thus, thetransliteration routine 44T may be used to assist when performing anaddress book search.

That is, the e-mail routine, or the address book routine, typicallyincludes a search function. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, the search functionis initiated by actuating a selectable search option, typically selectedby actuating “search” button 78 or menu option while the address book isopen. When the search function is initiated, a search field 70 ispresented and results are presented within the search field and/or aresults list 72. The user provides input into the search field via theplurality of keys 26. The input will typically be in the defaultlanguage that the user has selected. It is noted that theauto-completion feature, described above, also utilizes the e-mailroutine 50 search function. That is, while the auto-completion featuredoes not present a separate search field 70, the functionality describedbelow is also applicable to the auto-completion feature displayed in ane-mail message's “To:” field 74. It is further understood that an e-mailmessage's “cc:” field or “bcc:” field have the same functionality as theprimary “To:” field 74. Accordingly, as a specific search field and a“To:” field 74 may have the same functionality, hereinafter the phrase“e-mail address book search field” 76 shall apply to both.

As set forth above, this concept is primarily used when the defaultlanguage does not use Latin characters. Accordingly, the example setforth below assumes that the default language uses non-Latin characters.A flowchart of the method is shown in FIG. 6.

The user initiates at Step 150 the e-mail address book search field byeither opening at Step 152 a search field or by providing at Step 154input within the “To:” field of an e-mail message. That is, the userprovides at Step 154 input to the e-mail address book search field. Asnoted above, it is assumed that the primary input language on the user'sdevice is a non-Latin language. The input is a character string thatgrows with each iteration, as discussed below, and the character stringshall generally be discussed as if it includes a plurality ofcharacters; it is, however, understood that the initial character stringis a single character associated with a character key input. Thus, thee-mail routine 50 detects at Step 160 a non-Latin character string inputhaving at least a non-Latin character. The e-mail routine thendetermines at Step 170 if any names (or e-mail addresses) comprisingnon-Latin characters within the address book correspond to the detectedcharacter string.

Generally, the determination of a corresponding name, in both Latin andnon-Latin character sets, is based on comparing the character string inthe e-mail address book search field 76 to the names, i.e. the characterstrings that comprise the names or e-mail addresses, within the addressbook. Each name that includes the character string input into the e-mailaddress book search field “corresponds” to that character string.Typically, the character sting is identical to the name in the e-mailaddress book, i.e. the first respective characters are the same, thesecond respective characters are the same, etc. There are, however,instances where the character sting is disposed at another locationwithin the name. For example, a person's given name may be “H. JonBenjamin” and this may be the name within the e-mail address book. Ifthe person is known as “Jon Benjamin,” this would be the likely inputinto the e-mail address book search field 76. As the character string“Jon Benjamin” is located within the name H. Jon Benjamin, the namecorresponds to the character string. Thus, if a user input “J,” “o”,“n.” “B,” etc., the e-mail routine 50 would determine that the name “H.Jon Benjamin” corresponds to the input.

For many common characters, there will be a number of correspondingnames within the address book. There are a number of methods ofproviding output when there are a plurality of corresponding names. Forexample, the first suggested name may appear as an “auto-complete”suggestion in the e-mail address book search field 76 and alternatesuggestions may appear in a results list 72, or, only the firstsuggested name may appear as an “auto-complete” suggestion in the inputfield and no other alternatives are shown, or, the e-mail address booksearch field 76 may only display the user's input and all alternativesare shown in a results list 72, or, the e-mail address book search field76 may only display the user's input and only the first suggested namemay appear in a results list 72. While any method may be used witheither the search field or the “To:” field 74, the first method isdescribed below.

In the presently described example embodiment, when using the searchfunction in a search field, it is known to present a suggestedauto-completion within the search field and to provide othercorresponding names in a list adjacent the search field. Typically, thecorresponding names are provided in alphabetical order. Thus, the firstcorresponding name is presented per the auto-completion described above.That is, if the address book includes only the names “Bill Smith” and“Bill Turner,” an input of the character “B” would cause the autocompletion routine to present “ill Smith” as a suggested completionwithin the search field. It is noted that the portion of the namesuggested by the auto-completion routine is typically highlighted 80.Further, the name “Bill Turner” would appear on a list adjacent,typically below, the search field 70. A user may select “enter,” orother command input, to cause the suggested name to be entered into thee-mail message's “To:” field 74, select the alternate name, or continueinputting characters. It is noted that as the user provides additionalcharacter input, the number of suggested names typically decreases. Thatis, as more characters are input, the number of corresponding namesdecreases. In this example, with only two names in the address book, theuser would have to complete the first name, “Bill” and input thecharacter “T” before the suggested output would switch to “Bill Turner.”

It is further noted that should the user provide an input that has nocorresponding names in the address book, either in non-Latin or Latincharacters, there would be no results. That is, the auto-complete wouldnot provide a suggested completion and/or the results list 72 would beblank. This may occur after names are initially suggested. In thisexample having only a “Bill Smith” and a “Bill Turner” in the addressbook, if a user input the characters “B,” “i,” “l,” “l” and “A”, therewould be no corresponding name and the result would be no suggestedoutput. In this instance, the input provided by the user could be usedand the name in the “To:” field 74 provided the input was in the properform for an e-mail address, e.g. “BillAcker@XYZ.com”

In another alternate embodiment, when a user provides input within ane-mail message's “To:” field 74, only a single suggested output isprovided within the e-mail message's “To:” field 74. That is, no list ofother corresponding names are presented. Thus, if there are, forexample, multiple “Bills” in the address book each with a different lastname, the user will have to complete the first name and input at leastan additional character of a last name before the intended “Bill” issuggested as the auto completion (unless the intended “Bill” is thefirst name suggested).

In yet another alternate embodiment, only the most commonly used name issuggested. Accordingly, if there are, for example, multiple “Bills” inthe address book each with a different last name, the most commonly used“Bill” would be suggested as the auto completion. To select an alternate“Bill”, the user will have to delete the most commonly used suggestionand complete the first name and input the first letter(s) of a last namebefore the alternate “Bill” is suggested as the auto completion.Further, the electronic device 4 may include a routine 44 that providescontextual suggestions. The context may be base on various factors suchas, but not limited to, the time of day. For example, if the userregularly sent an e-mail message to Bill Smith in the morning and BillTurner in the afternoon, the suggested output could be based on the timeof day.

The e-mail routine 50 then utilizes the transliteration routine 44T todetermine if there are any Latin character names that correspond to thecharacter string. That is, the transliteration routine 44T is utilizedto determine at Step 180 which Latin characters are associated with thecharacter string. It is again noted that, after a single input, thecharacter string is a single character, thus the transliteration routine44T may determine which single Latin character is associated with thesingle character string.

The e-mail routine 50 then determines at Step 190 if any Latin characternames within the address book correspond to the associated characterstring. This process is substantially similar to the process describedabove with respect to non-Latin characters.

If any non-Latin character names or Latin character names within theaddress book correspond to the associated character string, the e-mailroutine 50 presents at Step 200 at least one name that corresponds tothe detected character string. As noted above, the presentation of asingle corresponding name occurs in the search field or the “To:” field74 and other corresponding names are presented in a results list 72,however, as noted above, other output schemes may be used. It is notedthat the list may be a complete list of corresponding names, but moretypically is a partial list that presents a limited number of thecorresponding names in alphabetical order.

The user may input additional characters by actuating additionalcharacter keys. Each time an additional character key is actuated, themethod set forth above is reiterated 210. That is, the process ofdetecting 160 a non-Latin character string input, determining 170 if anynon-Latin character names within the address book correspond to thedetected character string, determining 180 which Latin characters areassociated with the character string, determining 190 if any Latincharacter names within the address book correspond to the associatedcharacter string; and if any non-Latin character names or Latincharacter names within the address book correspond to the associatedcharacter string, presenting 200 at least one name that corresponds tothe detected character string, is performed each time a user inputs anadditional character. Each time the user inputs additional charactersthe character string becomes longer and, typically, the number ofcorresponding names is reduced. Thus, the user will, eventually, bepresented with a single name.

As noted above, if the input provided by the user does not have anycorresponding names, in either the non-Latin characters or the Latincharacters, the routine, after step 190 may insert 195 the user's inputinto the “To:” field 74. Preferably, the e-mail routine is structured toconfirm that the name is in proper e-mail format.

The following example demonstrates the method disclosed above and isdescribed in reference with FIGS. 5A-5D. In this example, the user isGreek and utilizes the Greek character set on his handheld electronicdevice 4. The user has a friend from England named Danny and a Greekfriend named Dana, as well as a number of other friends. Each friend hassent messages to the user and the user has added both Danny and Dana tohis address book. The message from Danny was in English (a Latinlanguage) and Danny is recorded as “Danny” in the address book. Themessage from Dana was in Greek (a non-Latin language) and Dana isrecorded as “Δανα” in the address book. The user now wishes to write amessage to Danny.

The user initiates at Step 150 the e-mail address book search field byopening a search in the address book wherein the cursor is locatedwithin the e-mail address book search field. The user then actuates thecharacter key 25 having the character “Δ” thereon. That is, the userprovides 154 input within the “To:” field 74 of the e-mail message. Thee-mail routine 50 detects at Step 160 the non-Latin character stringinput and determines 170 if any non-Latin character names (or e-mailaddresses) within the address book correspond to the detected characterstring. In this example, the e-mail routine 50 finds Δανα and Διμιτρυ(Dimitry, another Greek friend in the address book).

The e-mail routine 50 then utilizes the transliteration routine 44T todetermine 180 which Latin characters are associated with the characterstring. In this instance, the Greek character “Δ” is associated with theLatin character “D.” Thus, the transliteration routine 44T determines180 that “Δ” is associated with the Latin character “D.”

The e-mail routine 50 then determines at Step 190 if any Latin characternames within the address book correspond to the associated characterstring. In this example, the only Latin character name in the addressbook starting with the letter “D” is Danny.

Thus, having determined that the address book includes three names thatcorrespond to the input of “Δ,” the e-mail routine 50, Δανα, Danny andΔιμιτρυ, the e-mail routine 50 presents at Step 200 at least one namethat corresponds to the detected character string. In this example, theuser has utilized the e-mail routine's search function. As describedabove, the e-mail routine 50 is structured to present a list of allcorresponding names with a suggested name appearing in the e-mailaddress book search field. Thus, as shown, all three names are presentedwith Δανα appearing in the e-mail address book search field 76 and Dannyand Διμιτρυ appear on the list. It is noted that if the user had startedtyping in the “To:” field 74, typically the only option presented wouldbe Δανα appearing in “To:” field 74.

At this point the user may select the name “Danny” by clicking, ordouble clicking, on the name Danny in the list. Alternately, the usermay provide additional input. Thus, if the user were to actuate thecharacter key 25 having the “α” character, the method would bereiterated, as described above. The result following the input of the“α” character would be that the name Διμιτρυ would no longer appear onthe list as Διμιτρυ does not match the character string “Δα.” “Danny,”however, would still appear on the list below Δανα.

The user then inputs the additional characters “ν” and “ν.” Each timethe user provides input, the method is reiterated as described above.After the second “ν” is input, the character string no longercorresponds to the name Δανα, and the only choice remaining is Danny.The user may then click, double click, or actuate the “enter” key toselect Danny as the addressee. Upon the selection of an addressee, a newe-mail message is created with the selected name in the “To:” field 74,as is known in the art. It is noted that, if the user had selected anon-Latin name as the addressee, or as an additional addressee, thee-mail routine 50 would convert this name to Latin characters, asdescribed above, prior to sending the e-mail message.

While specific embodiments of the disclosed and claimed concept havebeen described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that various modifications and alternatives to those details couldbe developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Forexample, the present application has used a full keyboard as an example;however, the method is equally effective with a reduced keyboard coupledwith a disambiguation routine. Accordingly, the particular arrangementsdisclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to thescope of the disclosed and claimed concept which is to be given the fullbreadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.

1. A method of transliterating non-Latin input within an e-mail addressfield to the Latin equivalent on a handheld electronic device, thehandheld electronic device including a display, a keyboard, and aprocessor apparatus, the keyboard having a plurality of character keys,the processor apparatus having a processor and a memory, the processorapparatus structured to receive input from the keyboard keys and toprovide output signals to the display, the memory having a number ofroutines stored therein, at least one keyboard routine structured toassociate a character key input with a specific character, thecharacters being provided in a database having sets of associatedcharacters, the sets of associated characters including at least onenon-Latin character set and the Latin character set, and at least onee-mail routine structured to present an e-mail address field and todetect and present input from the keyboard character keys, the method oftransliterating compromising the steps of: a) having the plurality ofcharacter keys associated with a non-Latin character set; b) detecting acharacter key input; c) determining which non-Latin character isassociated with the actuated character key; d) presenting the non-Latincharacter associated with the actuated character key in the e-mailaddress field; e) repeating steps (b)-(d) until a trigger event occursand then; f) redefining the character keys by associating the characterkeys with the Latin character set; g) converting all non-Latin characterpresented in the e-mail address field to the Latin equivalent of thatnon-Latin character; h) detecting a character key input; i) determiningwhich Latin character is associated with the actuated character key; j)presenting the Latin character in the e-mail address field; k) repeatingsteps (h)-(j) until the e-mail address is complete; and l) sending thee-mail having a Latin character e-mail address.
 2. The method oftransliterating of claim 1 wherein the at least one e-mail routineincludes an address book having at least one name and associated e-mailaddress stored therein, the at least one e-mail routine having anauto-complete feature, the e-mail routine further including a manualconversion option, and wherein: the trigger event is selected from thegroup comprising: actuation of the manual conversion option, detectionof an input that is not subject to auto-completion, or detection of afunctional character input.
 3. The method of transliterating of claim 2wherein the at least one e-mail routine is structured to present anoutput table, the output table being presented adjacent to the e-mailaddress field, and wherein the step of detecting a character key inputhaving an associated non-Latin character includes the steps of: a)presenting within the output table a first field and a second field, thefirst field presenting the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin characterinput, the second field presenting a predicted auto-completion addressbook name; and b) allowing the selection of the Latin equivalent of thenon-Latin character input or the predicted auto-completion address bookname.
 4. The method of transliterating of claim 3 wherein, if during thestep of allowing the selection of the Latin equivalent of the non-Latincharacter input or the predicted auto-completion address book name theuser selects the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin character input, theselection of the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin character input actsas an actuation of the manual conversion option.
 5. The method oftransliterating of claim 3 wherein, prior to the step of detecting acharacter key input having an associated non-Latin character, the outputtable is presented with a field indicating the use of Latin charactersand wherein the method includes the step of allowing the user to selectthe field indicating the use of Latin characters and wherein selectionof the field indicating the use of Latin characters acts as an actuationof the manual conversion option.
 6. A handheld electronic device,comprising: a housing; an input apparatus including a keyboard with aplurality of character keys; an output apparatus including a display; aprocessor apparatus having a processor and a memory, the processorapparatus is structured to receive input from the keyboard, to provideoutput signals to the display, and to execute a number of routines; thememory having a number of routines stored therein; the number ofroutines including at least one keyboard routine structured to associatean individual character key input with a specific character, thecharacters being provided in a database having sets of associatedcharacters, the sets of associated characters including at least onenon-Latin character set and the Latin character set; the number ofroutines including at least one e-mail routine structured to present ane-mail address field and to detect and present input from the keyboardcharacter keys; wherein the processor apparatus is structured to executethe at least one keyboard routine and the at least one e-mail routine tocause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising:a) having the plurality of character keys associated with a non-Latincharacter set; b) detecting a character key input; c) determining whichnon-Latin character is associated with the actuated character key; d)presenting the non-Latin character associated with the actuatedcharacter key in the e-mail address field; e) repeating steps (b)-(d)until a trigger event occurs and then; f) redefining the character keysby associating the character keys with the Latin character set; g)converting all non-Latin character presented in the e-mail address fieldto the Latin equivalent of that non-Latin character; h) detecting acharacter key input; i) determining which Latin character is associatedwith the actuated character key; j) presenting the Latin character inthe e-mail address field; k) repeating steps (h)-(j) until the e-mailaddress is complete; and l) sending the e-mail having a Latin charactere-mail address.
 7. The handheld electronic device of claim 6 wherein:the at least one e-mail routine includes an address book having at leastone name and associated e-mail address stored therein, the at least onee-mail routine having an auto-complete feature; the e-mail routinefurther including a manual conversion option; and the trigger event isselected from the group comprising: actuation of the manual conversionoption, detection of an input that is not subject to auto-completion, ordetection of a functional character input.
 8. The handheld electronicdevice of claim 7 wherein: the at least one e-mail routine is structuredto present an output table, the output table being disposed adjacent tothe e-mail address field; and wherein the routines further, whenexecuted on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device toperform operations comprising: a) presenting within the output table anfirst field and a second field, the first field presenting the Latinequivalent of the non-Latin character input, the second field presentinga predicted auto-completion address book name; and b) allowing theselection of the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin character input orthe predicted auto-completion address book name.
 9. The handheldelectronic device of claim 8 wherein, if during the operation ofallowing the selection of the Latin equivalent of the non-Latincharacter input or the predicted auto-completion address book name theuser selects the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin character input, theselection of the Latin equivalent of the non-Latin character input actsas an actuation of the manual conversion option.
 10. The handheldelectronic device of claim 8 wherein: the e-mail routine is structuredto presented a field indicating the use of Latin characters within theoutput table; the routines further, when executed on the processor,cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising:allowing the user to select the field indicating the use of Latincharacters; and wherein selection of the field indicating the use ofLatin characters acts as an actuation of the manual conversion option.11. A method of performing a multilingual search within an e-mailaddress book search field on a handheld electronic device, the handheldelectronic device including a display, a keyboard, and a processorapparatus, the keyboard having a plurality of character keys, includinga plurality of character keys associated with a non-Latin character set,the processor apparatus having a processor and a memory, the processorapparatus structured to receive input from the keyboard keys and toprovide output signals to the display, the memory having a number ofroutines stored therein, at least one keyboard routine structured toassociate a character key input with a specific character, thecharacters being provided in a database having sets of associatedcharacters, the sets of associated characters including at least onenon-Latin character set and the Latin character set, and at least onee-mail routine having an address book structured to store names in bothat least one non-Latin character set and the Latin character set, saide-mail routine further structured to present an e-mail address booksearch field and to detect and present input from the keyboard characterkeys, the method of performing a multilingual search within an e-mailaddress book search field on a handheld electronic device compromisingthe steps of: a) detecting a non-Latin character string input; b)determining if a non-Latin character name within the address bookcorrespond to the detected character string; c) determining which Latincharacters are associated with the character string; d) determining if aLatin character name within the address book correspond to theassociated character string; and e) if any non-Latin character names orLatin character names within the address book correspond to theassociated character string, presenting at least one name thatcorresponds to the detected character string.
 12. The method of claim 11wherein said at least one e-mail routine includes a search function anda selectable search option, said at least one e-mail routine structuredto present a search field and a results list, further comprising thesteps of: prior to step (a), selecting an e-mail address book searchoption; after step (e), selecting at least one name that is presented;and creating a new e-mail message being addressed to the selected name.13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of presenting at least onename that corresponds to the detected character string includes the stepof: presenting a plurality of corresponding name in a results list. 14.The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of: prior to step(a), creating a new e-mail message, the message having at least one“To:” field; positioning a cursor within the new e-mail “To:” field; andafter step (e), selecting the at least one name that is presented. 15.The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of: reiteratingsteps (a)-(e) wherein the character string becomes longer with eachiteration.
 16. A handheld electronic device, comprising: a housing; aninput apparatus including a keyboard with a plurality of character keys;an output apparatus including a display; a processor apparatus having aprocessor and a memory, the processor apparatus is structured to receiveinput from the keyboard, to provide output signals to the display, andto execute a number of routines; the memory having a number of routinesstored therein; the number of routines including at least one keyboardroutine structured to associate an individual character key input with aspecific character, the characters being provided in a database havingsets of associated characters, the sets of associated charactersincluding at least one non-Latin character set and the Latin characterset; the number of routines including at least one e-mail routinestructured to present an e-mail address field and to detect and presentinput from the keyboard character keys; wherein the processor apparatusis structured to execute the at least one keyboard routine and the atleast one e-mail routine to cause the handheld electronic device toperform operations comprising: a) having the plurality of character keysassociated with a non-Latin character set; b) detecting a non-Latincharacter string input; c) determining if any non-Latin character nameswithin the address book correspond to the detected character string; d)determining which Latin characters are associated with the characterstring; e) determining if any Latin character names within the addressbook correspond to the associated character string; and f) if anynon-Latin character names or Latin character names within the addressbook correspond to the associated character string, presenting at leastone name that corresponds to the detected character string.
 17. Themethod of claim 16 wherein said at least one e-mail routine includes asearch function and a selectable search option, said at least one e-mailroutine structured to present a search field and a results list, furthercomprising the steps of: prior to step (b), selecting an e-mail addressbook search option; after step (f), selecting at least one name that ispresented; and creating a new e-mail message being addressed to theselected name.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of presentingat least one name that corresponds to the detected character stringincludes the step of: presenting a plurality of corresponding name in aresults list.
 19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the stepsof: prior to step (b), creating a new e-mail message, the message havingat least one “To:” field; positioning a cursor within the new e-mail“To:” field; and after step (f), selecting the at least one name that ispresented.
 20. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:reiterating steps (b)-(f) wherein the character string becomes longerwith each iteration.